The Kumbh Mela, world’s largest Hindu spiritual festival, occurs once every 12 years, rotating among four locations in India. In 2010, the Kumbh Mela was held in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, from 1 January to 30 April. Hindus from all over the world came for a holy dip in the divine Ganga. In the span of four months, about 82.8 million pilgrims visited Haridwar. Out of this, more than 16 million came in for a dip on the holiest day of the Kumbh Parv, that is, 14 April.

India, the country on the fast track of growth, has a dubious record of not doing enough to improve the lot of the socially disadvantaged. In many regions in India, widows fall in this socially disadvantaged sector. In the past couple of decades, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have done their bit to bring some positive changes into the lives of people who have been left behind in the country’s economic progress. Yet, not many NGOs have taken up widow rehabilitation as a focus area.